How Facebook Gaming Streamers Make Money

calendar1Last UpdatedMarch 9, 2020

As Facebook Gaming grows in popularity, more people are asking how their streamers are able to make money. This post will cover crowdfunding, sponsorships, and special tasks that you can do to earn some extra funds streaming your favorite games on a social media giant.

How Do Facebook Gaming Streamers Make Money?

Facebook Gaming streamers earn through crowdfunding methods such as donations, subscriptions, or Facebook’s on-platform currency, Facebook Gaming Stars. They can also potentially earn through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, merchandising, and by providing stream-related services to other content creators.

Crowdfunding Opportunities for Facebook Gaming Streamers

One of the earliest ways a streamer on Facebook Gaming can earn money is through donations made by enthusiastic viewers. Fans of the broadcaster can donate by using stars, through donations, or by becoming a monthly supporter of a channel. To potentially earn stars or subscriptions, a streamer must be a part of the Level Up Program or partnered with the platform.

How to Join the Facebook Gaming Level Up Program

In order to apply for the Facebook Gaming Level Up Program, you must have met the following requirements:

You must have an active “Gaming Video Creator” page (that must have been active for 30 or more days)

With the game tagged, you need to stream a game for at least 4 hours in the last two weeks

What Are Facebook Gaming Stars?

Stars are to Facebook Gaming as bits are to Twitch. They are the currency that is used on the platform to support streamers in a fun way. To use stars, a viewer must first purchase them through Facebook. They are bought for a slightly higher price than what they are worth to the streamer.

Each star can be cashed out for the equivalent of $.01 USD and will be paid to the streamer when they have reached 10,000 (or $100).

What are Facebook Gaming Supporters?

Facebook Gaming supporters are viewers who have subscribed to the channel through the streamer’s Facebook Gaming page. Subscriptions cost $4.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. In exchange for supporting the channel, these loyal fans will receive the following incentives:

Supporter badge – an image that will be displayed next to a viewer’s name when commenting on that channel.

Exclusive content – many streamers will create posts exclusively for supporters. These may include polls, images, or videos. Some streamers will even occasionally broadcast live only to their supporter base.

Custom stickers – these are similar to emotes on other platforms. They are unique to the streamer and can be used on their channel.

Supporter group – an online group that is specifically created for supporters of the streamer.

Can Facebook Gaming Streamers Collect Donations?

While viewers can’t make traditional donations through Facebook, the streamer can set up a donation system through a 3-rd party program, such as Streamlabs or Patreon. Streamlabs is a broadcasting software that is compatible with Facebook Gaming and donations made through them can be registered on the stream’s alert system. Patreon is a popular donation platform used by many content creators on the internet.

Other Ways Facebook Gaming Streamers Earn Money

In addition to crowdfunding opportunities, there are other ways that Facebook Gaming streamers can earn money. These include creating unique merchandise based on their channel’s branding, selling things through affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and special services offered to other streamers.

Create Merchandise for Your Facebook Gaming Channel

As a Facebook Gaming streamer, you can advertise your merchandise during your streams or as part of your Facebook Page’s description. If you have your own streamer website, you can advertise your merch on there are well. Here are a couple of places where you can source your own branded merch:

SE Merch (Stream Elements merch) – allows streamers to create merchandise through their platform. You don’t have to worry about purchasing stock to have on hand. Stream Elements will fill your orders for you and provide customer service to your patrons.

Design by Humans – you can create many things through this platform, including backpacks and mousepads. Design by Humans works with several streamers to help set up merch stores.

Sign Up for Affiliate Programs for Products You Love

If there is a product that you talk about all the time or use while you stream, write them down in the description on your page with Affiliate links to the products. If your supporters decide they want to make a purchase, they may buy the item through your link, giving you a commission.

Work with Sponsors Who Want to Support Your Channel

Once you have a solid following, look into finding streaming sponsors. Many sponsors are willing to work with smaller streamers if they are working hard to produce quality content and have a passionate following. When reaching out to (or hearing from) sponsors, make sure to work with companies you love and whose products you will be proud to represent.

When working with sponsors, it is a good idea to get a second opinion from a more experienced streamer before signing any contracts or agreeing to anything. Other streamers could tell you if the sponsors are giving you a fair deal or if they are trying to take advantage of your lack of experience.

Special Services Offered to Other Streamers

Many streamers earn a side income by helping other content creators in specialized areas. Nobody has it “all” and looking for help from someone who is more skilled in an area may be able to give you a stronger brand or channel overall. On the same note, you may have skills that you can market to other streamers.

Here are a few popular ways broadcasters earn off of each other:

Branding and Graphics

Do you have a strong eye for detail? If you create all your graphics, stickers, and branding to a professional level, you may be able to market your skills to other streamers who need to do the same. You can generally find work by joining streamer groups on Facebook or Discord and networking with other streamers.

Content Coach

If you are good at planning and executing content or attracting viewers to your stream, you could charge other streamers to learn how to better market themselves or be more entertaining. While there isn’t a huge supply or demand need for it, several streamers have been able to earn a side income through coaching streamers.

Troubleshooting Support

Even with several guides and online support for OBS, Streamlabs, or XSplit, people can encounter a lot of issues with their streaming software or stream equipment. If you are an expert at fixing either or know how to configure things in an efficient way, you can train others to do the same for a fee.

Video Editing

Many streamers want to upload compilation videos to YouTube but don’t know how to do it well or don’t have time to do it. If you love to edit and work it like a pro, you can pick up extra work from other streamers to create their videos for them.

Conclusion

There are several ways that people who stream on Facebook Gaming can earn money. As your content improves and you are seen by more people, your chances to earn a full time living streaming will increase.

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Luci

Luci is a novelist, freelance writer, and active blogger. A journalist at heart, she loves nothing more than interviewing the outliers of the gaming community who are blazing a trail with entertaining original content.